Airplane amusement device



May 3, 1949. A. ORANGE AIRPLANE AMUSEMENT DEVICE" 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 .Filed March 19, 1946 Inventor 4262/2 'Orczzzce,

May 3, 1949. A. ORANGE AIRPLANE AMUSEMENT DEVICE 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 19; 1946 I/werrm" ,4Z&e7"i Oraizce,

By and A. ORANGE AIRPLANE AMUSEMENT DEVICE May 3, 1949.

3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed March 19, 1945 Inventor flleri 022222 06,

Patented May 3, 1949 UNITED STATES OFF ICE AIRPLANE AMUSEMENT DEVIGE Albert Orance, Chicago, 111.

Application March 19, 1946,. Serial N0...655,493

5 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in amusement devices, and more particularly to miniature airplanes at their ends, said airplanes being capable of horizontal rocking movement with respect to said girders, and said movement being controllable by the occupants of the airplanes.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an improved airplane roundabout for circuses and carnivals, and the like, which will be highly .exciting and thrilling to the occupants, and relatively inexpensive to manufacture and produce.

Other objects will appear as the description proceeds.

In the accompanying drawings which form a part of this application,

Figure 1 is a sideelevation of the improvedairplane amusement device;

Figure-2 is a plan view of theairplane amuse ment device;

Figure is a sectional view taken on the line S -B of Figure .2;

Figure 4 ,is a sectional View vtaken on the line *4 of Figure 3;

F'igure'fi'zis a sectional view taken on the "line 5-5a0f Figure 3, and

Figure-dis a sectional view taken on the line 66 of Figure 1.

Like-characters of reference are used throughout the following specification and the accompanying drawings to designate corresponding parts.

In carrying out the invention, there is: provided a heavy circular ring base or supporting platform I, which supports the centrally disposed upstanding cylindrical housing 2, the same be! in-g preferably vformed. integrally with said base. flpwardly converging bars 50 interconnect the ting base and thehousing to additionally brace the'flatter. The housing. 2 'isalso provided with thelfour vertically extending guide slots ar- 2 ranged equidistant from each other and extend: ing through the wall of said housisg.

The cross-head 4 provided with four radially extending arms 5 is arranged to have said arms extend through the guide slots 3 in the cyline drical housing 2 for vertical movement therein. A hydraulic jack 6 is supported within the lower ext em y o he ousin and is pro ed with the piston 1 and interconnecting piston rod .8 said rod being reduced as at 9 to extend through and form a shoulder engageable With the lower suit-face of the crossehead A, as clearly shown in Figure 3 of the drawings.

A ball bea ng-"ring .0 is p tio ed ab t he housing 2 ineontact with the upper surface o; the cross-heads, and in turn supports the ro-w tatab yl nd al h us ng H whi h s o a diameter to snu y fit h h us n 2- A g a i2 is formed integrally about thelower end 0f the housing ,l I, and meshes with the elongated drivin ea 13 suppo e on t e e a y X- tendin shaft i=4 mo nted i the pac ea in brackets 15 and it. A gear I! is mounted on the lower end or the shaft ill and intermeshes with the worm gear it in the gear housing IS,

the: same bein conn cted t he h s Of the driving electric motorfll rsupported on the'base l.

A supportiugrin or c0llar'2-l will be formed in tegrally with the housing ll, and includes the radial arms :22 and-the bra ing ds or s 2.3 connected between said housing H and the ring 2 adjacent its outerextremities. 1

The annular collar 24,,is formed integrally on the housing :2 adjacent its upper end, and sup! m' s the annular ball bearing. race 25. Dis.- posed about the upper end of the housing l], and :rotatabl'y mounted on said housing and ball bearing race, is ;a girder supporting collar 26 having an enlarged supporting flange 21, having hinges 28 attached thereto at opposite points to connect :with the inner ends of the girder frame armsZfl. Webs 130 will be formed between the collar 26 andzthe'fiangefll tostrengthen the construction. ,A lock nut .13! will be secured to the top-10f; the housing .2 to retain all of the parts in positicnthereon.

Heavy coil springs 32 will be positioned be! tween the girder arms 215 and the s pportin ange 2: by means of he cap members :33 pivoted to the ears 3,4 on the girder arms 219 and the base member 35 on the ring 2], it being understood that the opposite ends of the springs 32 are positive y se u edzt th members 33 and 35.

:Seeured outer ends of th i d r a ms 29, are the miniature airplane supporting rods 36, which are adapted to extend through the body or fuselage of the airplanes 31, to normally hold them in substantially horizontal position with respect to the ground when the apparatus is not in operation.

Secured to each miniature airplane and extending inwardly from the body of the same, are the spaced movement limiting bars 39 and which cooperate with the triangular shaped arms 4| fixed to the supporting rods 36. Extensions 52 are provided at the sides of the arms 4| to engage the stop bars 39 and 40 when the airplane bodies have tilted forwardly or backwardly to their extreme limit of movement. The arms 4| will also engage said stop bars 39 and 40 to provide a second means for limiting the movement of the airplane bodies.

The elevators 42 will be operable by the persons sitting in the airplane, the same being connected with a control stick (not shown). Hence, if properly controlled, the occupants will be able to manipulate the airplanes so that they will tilt forwardly or backwardly as they are rotated with the girders 29 at a high rate of speed.

The mode of operation of the apparatus will be now described:

Assuming the occupants or patrons are in each miniature airplane, the operator of the device or roundabout sees that the occupants are strapped in by means of safety belts, after which he starts the electric motor 20, and admits fluid under the piston I of the hydraulic jack 6, to elevate the collar supporting ring 2| to which the girder arms 29 are connected through the heavy coil springs 32, which action elevates the outer ends of the girder a considerable distance from the ground as shown in dotted lines in Figure l. The occupants may control the elevators of the airplanes and get the effect of taking 011, and when the apparatus is being stopped, the proper use of the elevators control will cause a good three point landing on the wheels and tail skid of the airplanes. If the occupants fail to control the elevators properly, the airplane will merely buck or tilt within the limits of their movements, in any event, the uncontrolled movements will never be severe enough to permit any injury to the occupants.

It will be noted that the springs 32 serve the purpose of drivingly interconnecting the girders 29 with the arms 22 which are in turn driven by the motor 26 and associated gearing l2 and I3. The springs 32 also act as shock absorbers retarding both the upward and downward movements of the girders 29. Thus when the operator releases the fluid in the hydraulic jack as he turns off the motor 20, the girders descend, the springs 32 acting to retard this downward movement and allow the device to come to a smooth and easy stop.

While the preferred embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described, it will be understood that it is not intended to limit the scope of the invention thereto, as many minor changes in the field of construction may be resorted to without departure from the spirit of the invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. An airplane amusement device including a base having an upstanding cylindrical support thereon, a collar formed with a peripheral flange on its lower end rotatably mounted on the upper end of said support, a plurality of-girders hinged 4 at their inner ends to said peripheral flange, airplanes supported on the outer ends of said girders, a vertically adjustable collar rotatably mounted on said cylindrical support in spaced relation below said first-mentioned collar being movable to ward and away from the same and formed with a concentric supporting ring tied to said collar by means of radial arms and bracing rods, coil springs seated on said ring with their upper ends positively attached to said girders for resiliently supporting the same and for providing the driving connection between said lower collar and said girders, a gear formed about the lower end of said lower collar, an elongated driving gear intermeshed therewith, means for rotating said driving gear, and means for raising and lowering said lower collar and ring to raise and lower said connected girders for elevating and lowering the airplanes with respect to the ground as the airplane amusement device is operated.

2. An airplane amusement device including a base having an upstanding cylindrical support thereon, a collar formed with a peripheral flange on its lower end rotatably mounted on the upper end of said sup-port, a plurality of girders hinged at their inner ends to said peripheral flange, airplanes supported on the outer ends of said girders, a vertically adjustable collar rotatably mounted on said cylindrical support in spaced relation belaw said first-mentioned collar being movable toward and away from the same and formed with a concentric supporting ring tied to said collar by means of radial arms and bracing rods, coil springs seated on said ring with their upper ends positively attached to said girders for resiliently supporting the same and for providing the sole driving connection between said lower collar and said girders, a gear formed about the lower end of said lower collar, an elongated driving gear intermeshed therewith, means for rotating said driving gear, and a hydraulic jack for raising and lowering said lower collar and ring to raise and lower said connected girders for elevating and lowering the airplane with respect to the ground as the airplane amusement device is operated.

3. The subject matter as claimed in claim 2, and means for limiting the vertical movement of said lower collar.

4. The subject matter as claimed in claim 2,. means for limiting the vertical movement of said lower collar, and said hydraulic jack including a piston rod and a cross support on the upper end thereof upon which said lower collar will be supported for vertical movement.

5. The subject matter as claimed in claim 2, means for limiting the vertical movement of said lower collar, a hydraulic jack including a piston rod and a cross support on the upper end thereof upon which said lower collar will be supported for vertical movement, and means for controlling the movement of said airplanes at the outer ends of said girders. ,2 l ALBERT ORANGE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 791,046 Praul May 30, 1905 890,558 Dameron June 9, 1908 2,169,403 Bartlett Aug. 15, 1939 2,282,763 Kennedy May 12, 1942 2,312,533 Eyerly Mar. 2, 1943 

